The present invention relates to an information input device, cursor moving device and portable or hand-held telephone apparatus using two devices (such as dials) for selecting information by motion (such as rotation) and fixing information by clicking.
Analog portable telephones, digital portable telephones and PHS (Personal Handy-phone System, in service in Japan) telephones are now gaining popularity as portable communication terminals with the advantage of compactness and light weight. Many portable communication terminals have a function to store frequently used telephone numbers in a memory. In this case, a user enters names of callees and telephone numbers by inputting characters.
In the conventional communication terminals, Japanese katakana characters and letters of the English alphabet are assigned to the keys of a ten-key set for dialing telephone numbers. One method for inputting characters is a key input method in which a desired character is entered by pressing the ten key set. Another method employs a dial and one or more keys for inputting and editing.
In the conventional portable telephone, Japanese kana-kanji conversion (or translation) is performed as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.
FIG. 10 shows the appearance of a portable telephone set having the function of kana-kanji conversion. As shown in FIG. 10, Japanese katakana characters are assigned to the ten keys. Therefore, a user can input xe2x80x9ca readingxe2x80x9d (or pronunciation) with the ten keys.
FIGS. 11Axcx9c11G illustrates the process of kana-kanji conversion according to the key input method. First, to input a kana character xe2x80x9cmoxe2x80x9d, the 7-numbered key for xe2x80x9cmaxe2x80x9d row (of ma (), mi (), mu (), me () and mo ()) is pressed five times, and the display section shows xe2x80x9cmaxe2x86x92mixe2x86x92muxe2x86x92mexe2x86x92moxe2x80x9d consecutively one after another. In this way, the user can input the kana character xe2x80x9cmo()xe2x80x9d as shown in FIG. 11A. Likewise, the user inputs xe2x80x9cri()xe2x80x9d, next to xe2x80x9cmo()xe2x80x9d, by pressing the 9-numbered key of xe2x80x9craxe2x80x9d row (of ra (), ri (), ru (), re() and ro()) two times (FIG. 11B), and inputs xe2x80x9ctaxe2x80x9d by pressing the 4-numbered key of ta row (of ta (), ti(), tu(), te() and to()) one time (FIG. 11C). Thus, the user can input the xe2x80x9creadingxe2x80x9d of xe2x80x9cmo-ri-ta()xe2x80x9d, as shown in FIG. 11C.
Then, for kana-kanji conversion, the user pushes down a conversion key (henkan key) four times (FIG. 11Dxcx9cFIG. 11G). Therefore, the display section displays four candidates, xe2x80x9cxe2x86x92xe2x86x92xe2x86x92xe2x80x9d, one after another. By pushing down a fixing or decision key (xe2x80x9ckakuteixe2x80x9d key), the user can fix the fourth candidate, xe2x80x9cxe2x80x9d, as a decided input (FIG. 11G) to a text.
The conventional key input method requires a plurality of key strokes to find a desired kana character, and the conventional method is very awkward. The combination method of one dial and other keys requires a plurality of rotational dial operations to find desired kana characters.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an information input device for quickly selecting and fixing an information item such as a kana character with two operating devices, a cursor moving device for moving a cursor freely with two operating devices, and a compact telephone apparatus using these devices.
According to the present invention, an information input device comprises first and second selecting means capable of being operated in first and second directions; a fixed memory for storing a plurality of information items in coordinate locations in a manner of one to one correspondence; display means for displaying at least the information in the fixed memory; and control means for selecting a desired coordinate location of the fixed memory in accordance with a physical amount of movement of said first selecting means in the first direction and a physical amount of movement of said second selecting means in the first direction, and fixing the information in the selected coordinate location in accordance with an operation of said first selecting means or said second selecting means in the second direction.
Accordingly, the device selects a desired coordinate location in the fixed memory in accordance with the physical amounts of the first and second selecting means in the first direction, and fixes the information on the coordinates in accordance with the operation of the first or second selecting means in the second direction.
A cursor moving device according to the present invention comprises: first and second cursor moving means capable of being operated in first and second directions; a display section for displaying a plurality of information items; a cursor generating means for displaying a cursor on the display section; and control means for moving said cursor on the display section in accordance with physical amounts of movement of said first and second cursor moving means in the first direction.
Accordingly, the device moves the cursor displayed on the display section in accordance with the physical amounts of movement of the first and second cursor moving means.